Sunday, December 31, 2006

"Gaza - Israel has agreed to conditions set by the Palestinian resistance factions that captured the IOF soldier, Gilad Shalit, in the Gaza Strip over six months ago in order to release him, a UAE paper quoted sources as saying.

The UAE daily ‘Al-Khalij’ quoted those unidentified sources as saying that the Israeli government had agreed to release 1,500 Palestinian prisoners of all factions including women, minors, sick and those serving long terms.

It added that family of Shalit and the Israeli government recently saw a one-minute video showing that Shalit was still alive unlike what the Israeli intelligence had recently claimed that he was dead.

The sources said that Israeli premier Ehud Olmert would declare his government’s approval of the prisoners’ swap deal during his upcoming Cairo visit.

They said that the soldier would be transferred to Egypt away from the cameras and that Israel will simultaneously release 650 Palestinian prisoners as a first batch and two weeks later would release some 750 others, then in early February Israel would release 80 prisoners including senior leaders and those serving long terms."

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This would be a tremendous boost to Hamas and a vindication of its approach. The Palestinian public can't help but contrast that with the pathetic approach of Abbas, the puppet. After all the hugs and kisses by Olmert a week ago, Abbas was promised that Israel would release a number of Palestinian prisoners to "strengthen Abbas." The timing was supposed to coincide with Eid Al-Adha. As it turned out Israel did not keep any of the promises made to Abbas, leaving him to appear as the fool that he is.